Less Than Graceful
by best thing since cookies
Summary: Grace is a very special little girl who steals the hearts of all the CSIs. Will she be what brings Stella and Mac together? A little twist with one of the CSI's! MS and a little DL. This summary doesn't do it justice! JUST READ IT. COMPLETE
1. Prologue

**Less Than Graceful: Prologue**

"My name is Detective Mac Taylor."

The little girl grinned up at him with twinkling green eyes. "Mac? Like macaroni only without the aroni?" she asked.

Mac was a little taken aback by the girl's forward attitude. Her tumble of brown corkscrew curls and cherubic little face apparently made her look a lot more shy than she actually was. "Uh, yes," Mac said.

"Well, I'm Grace, like graceful only without the ful and I _know_ grace is already a word, but I don't like it because I'm more like grace_less_ and I like your name because I like macaroni _and_ I'm six." She held up her fingers as if Mac wouldn't have got that from her super long run-on sentence.

Mac looked around the front of the apartment building. Apartment 371 was the crime scene. The police had come to the small apartment to take Holly Daniels in because of a warrant. She hadn't appeared in court for multiple DWIs and a warrant for her arrest was submitted. When they had come into the apartment, they'd found little Grace Daniels sitting in the middle of the dining room table and Holly's bedroom door locked.

One of the policeman had jiggled the doorknob a little and opened the door. Holly was on the bedroom floor dead and the bedroom window was wide open.

"The pleeceman with the funny hat went into mommy's room. She's gunna be mad," Grace warned when the silence extended longer than she thought it should.

Mac crouched down to the little girl's level. "When was the last time your mom came out of her room?" he asked gently.

Grace though about it. "Yesterday night. I was watchin Arthur and she told me to get my lazy _ass_ up and take a bath." Grace grinned with pleasure at the curse word. The edges of Mac's eyes crinkled in worry. Grace patted his cheek. "It's okay. She doesn't usually talk to me like that."

Mac smiled slightly. "Where's your father?"he asked.

Grace sighed sadly. "He died when I was a baby." There was a little sadness, but she seemed to have come to terms with his death.

"Did anything unusual happen last night?" Mac asked, knowing by the way the little girl talking that she would understand him.

Grace looked at him suspiciously. "Do I need a lawyer?" she asked seriously. Mac frowned in confusion and Grace shrugged. "That's what they say on the cop shows." She deepened her voice. "Where were you at 3 a.m. Wednesday night?" She let her voice go back to normal as she batted her eyelashes. "I was at home..." She deepened her voice again. "Do you have an alibi?" She smiled charmingly. "I wanna lawyer!"

Mac watched Grace act out her won little play. She didn't seem to care whether or not he was listening to her; it was obviously for her own entertainment. "I don't think you'll need a lawyer for this," Mac said.

"But I do have the right," Grace reminded him. "I have freedom of speech and all those good things from the Constitution and I can read so I know Green Eggs and Ham by heart."

Mac smiled as he caught sight of a familiar face. "Can you stay here for a minute? I want you to meet someone."

Mac didn't mind kids, really. They confused him more than anything. With little kids, nothing was connected, at least not to anyone else. "Stella," Mac said, catching up to her.

Stella turned around. "Hey Mac. I was about--"

"I need youto ride with Grace to the hospital," Mac interrupted.

Stella blinked. "Okay," she said without question. "Who's Grace?"

Mac led Stella over to where Grace was crouched watching a cricket hop across the sidewalk. The two adults watched curiously as the little girl gently picked it up. "You're Bob," she informed it solemnly before putting it in his pocket.

"Grace," Mac said.

Grace turned to him with an innocent look. "My new friend is a bug. I like bugs--wow, you're really pretty!" she exclaimed, turning to Stella.

Stella grinned down at the charming little girl. "I'm Stella."

Quite unexpectedly, the girl dropped to her knees, clutched her head, and bellowed, "Stell-a!" Stella and Mac peered down at Grace with bemused expressions. "Me 'n my mommy was watchin this show about movie quotes and this weird lookin man did that." Grace shrugged. "I thought it was funny."

Stella turned to Mac with a wide smile. "I guess I'll see you later then," she said. She turned to Grace and offered her a hand.

"Where are we going?" Grace asked curiously.

Mac headed into the apartment building while Stella led Grace to the ambulance. "The hospital," Stell answered.

"Why? I'm not sick, and I didn't break anything. One time I went to the hospital 'cause I broke my head and another time 'cause I hadda get sewed up." Grace looked up at the woman beside her. "Does my momma know where I'm goin?"

Stella hesitated. "I don't know," she said finally.

The ride to the hospital was anything but silent. Grace was practially bursting with questions about every little thing. The paramedic patiently answered the little girl's questions, but Stell finally made Grace be quiet when she noticed how the man was grinding his teeth.

Just the thought of spending time with the little girl brought a smile to Stella's face. Grace was so joyful and refreshing.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 1

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 1**

Grace was bored, and when she got bored, she did things that could get her in trouble. It was fairly quiet in the hospital room and the silence was deafening to the little girl. Stella was down the hall talking on the phone, and Grace was thoughtfully fingering a blue crayon.

When the police had come in, Grace had been sitting on the dining room table coloring. In all the commotion, she'd just stuffed the crayon into her pants pocket. Sitting in the hospital room singing her herself, Grace was glad that she had the crayon. There was an entire white wall that was just begging for some pretty blue pictures.

Stella stood outside the door, frustrated beyond belief. They'd been there for hours and Child Services still hadn't shown up. Grace had been very cooperative but hadn't managed to give them anything of importance. What worried her the most was that Grace still hadn't been told that her mom was dead, and she kept asking questions.

Still, Stella couldn't help smiling when Grace's childish singing floated through the door. The smile faded when she walked into the room. "Grace!" she yelped.

Grace turned and smiled innocently. "Like my picture?" she asked sweetly. There was a Grace-sized stick person with curly hair holding hands with an arm that didn't yet have a body. "That's me," Grace explained. "That was gunna be Mac only I'm not tall enough."

Stella regained movement in her limbs and took the crayon out of the little girl's hand. "Don't _ever_ color on the walls," she said sternly.

Grace's lower lip jutted out. "Are you goina tell my momma?" she asked fearfully.

Stella sank into a chair. She really didn't want to be the one to tell Grace that her mom was dead, but every time she mentioned her mom in the cheerful little voice, Stella's heart broke a little. "Sweetie, come here," Stella beckoned. Grace very happily climbed into Stella's lap. "Do you remember what you told Mac about your dad?" Stella asked.

Grace nodded. "He died," she said in a slightly saddened tone. "Momma said he's an angel now."

Stella hadn't been sure how to tell her, but she'd just been given an out. She swallowed thickly and wrapped her arms around Grace. "Well, your momma went to be with him."

Grace pulled away and stared up at Stella. "What?" she asked.

Stella almost burst into tears at the confused, hurt look on the little girl's heart-shaped face. "Your mom passed away," Stella said softly.

Grace was still confused. "I don't know what that means," she said.

Stella bit her lip. "You know how your daddy...umm, died?" Grace nodded. "It--your mom...did too."

Grace's eyes got impossibly big. "She left me?" she asked brokenly.

Stella shook her head. "No!" Then, softer, "Baby, your mom loved you, but something people get called to be...angels...before they want to. It's okay to be sad about it."

Grace had no qualms about being sad. She buried her face in the crook of Stella's neck and sobbed.

Mac was standing at the door watching the two females. He turned away when a tear trailed down Stella's cheek. His cheeks had a pink tint and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. It wasn't the CSI's job to tell a child that their mother was dead.

TBC...Well, I thought I'd hurry up and get this chapter posted. I've had it written since just after the first one was, but I never got around to posting it...the next chap should be up soon.


	3. Chapter 2

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 2**

Stella walked out of the hospital room and closed the door quietly behind her. She drew in a ragged breath and released it. Grace was sleeping, having cried herself into a deep sleep.

Mac caughed sight of her as soon as she stepped out of the room. He waited for her to spot him before approaching her. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Stella nodded. "No," she admitted, contradicting her nod.

A dark cloud settled over Mac's features. "Telling Grace about her mom wasn't your job." Stella stared at him in shock.

He realized that it sounded like an accusation. "I mean," he said in a softer tone, "that you shouldn't have had to tell her. There are people trained for this kind of thing, and they should've been here!"

Even though she was still pretty upset, Stella smirked at Mac. "Worried about me, were we?" Mac stared at her seriously and the smirk faded. "Sorry. It's just...Grace is such a good girl. She doesn't deserve to have to grow up in the system. It's a hard life that'll strip her of her innocence within the first year."

Mac watched as Stella's look darkened. "No one deserves that kind of life," he said gently. "But sometimes, the circumstances--"

"Mac," Stella interrupted, "The circumstances? Seriously? Grace's father died in a car accident, and her mom was just murdered. I say screw the circumstances. She's going to have a good life if I have to raise her myself!"

Mac watched as she practically ran to the ladies room. Somehow, when he invisioned apologizing, it didn't end that way.

"Mac?"

Mac crouched down beside Grace. "I thought you were sleeping, Gracey," he said gently.

Grace sniffled. "I woke up," she said tearfully, going into his arms.

Taking it all in stride, Mac lifted the girl up and took her with him to talk to the nurses about discharging her. Everything had already been taken care of while they waited for Child Services to show up.

Mac went back into the room to wait for Stella. When he sat down, Grace pulled back a little to look at Mac's face. She studied him for a few minutes. "Are you sad?" she finally asked innocently, her green eyes wide and wet.

Mac thought about it. He opted for the truth. Grace was perceptive and she'd already sensed his sadness. "Yes, Gracey," Mac said. "I am."

Grace rubbed her eyes and put a hand on either side of his face. "Did your momma die too?" she asked through trembling lips.

"Many years ago, but that's not why I'm sad," Mac said.

He hadn't thought it was possible, but Grace's eyes got wider. "Did your doggy die?" she gasped.

Mac gave her an incredulous look. His mouth twitched and he let out a small chuckle. Having a dog die, for a girl Grace's age, ranked right up there with having a parent die. "No, Gracey. My wife died, and I'm trying to...move on. Sort of like getting past it," Mac said.

Grace placed a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek. "We'll do it t'gether," she said solemnly as Stella walked into the room.

Stella's earlier "mood" was gone and she raised her eyebrows at Mac.

"Are you ready to go?" Mac asked, ignoring her silent question.

Stella pointedly ignored the concern in his voice and face. "Yeah," she said cheerfully.

"Gracey," Mac said, receiving an odd look from Stella at the nickname, "I need you to be a big girl and walk for me, okay?"

Grace nodded and allowed Mac to set her on the floor. There were no traces of tears on her face, but the sadness in her eyes left no question as to what was on the little girl's mind.

The tension in the car was thick as Mac expertly maneuvered the department-issued vehicle through the New York traffic. "I'm sorry about earlier," Stella said, finally breaking the silence.

Mac glanced at her. "I understand that you have issues with the system and that you would want to protect Grace from that." He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Grace staring into space. His heart clenched, remembering her solemn declaration from earlier. _We'll do it together._ She said it like she was positive he would be there to...to protect her, to help her through her greif.

"It's more than issues, Mac," Stella said, interrupting his thoughts. "The nuns at the orphanage were great, but they couldn't be everywhere, stop everything. There were the bullies, the victims, and the protectors. It didn't matter which path you chose; it was all hard."

"Let me guess," Mac said, "Protector?"

Stella just smiled, not bothering to correct him. She was over being a victim...she was a protector now.

"Hey!" Grace suddenly yelled from the backseat when they pulled up to the station. "I know him!"

Mac barely had time to stop before Grace was out of her seat belt and out the door. "Grace!" Stella and Mac shouted.

Danny Messer turned at the loud exclamation and saw the brown curls and fearless green eyes racing toward him.

"Grace?" he said incredulously.

TBC...Oh, I already have the next chapter started; it's gonna be longer. I might get it up tomorrow, but I might not get it up 'til Wednesday. So how does Danny know Grace? Tune in next time...and don't forget to review. It speeds up the process!


	4. Chapter 3

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 3**

Danny scooped the little girl into his arms and hugged her to him. It was refreshing to see her face; he'd been sure he would never see her again.

"What are you doing here, Doll face?" he asked, shooting Mac a questioning look as he and Stella came running up.

Grace kept her arms clamped around Danny's neck and her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Lindsay was standing back, watching Grace and Danny closely. The little girl was obviously very close with Danny, and Danny was obviously very taken with her.

Mac cleared his throat. "Grace, I need you to go with Stella, okay?" he asked carefully.

Grace shook her head and tightened her arms around Danny's neck. "Hey, Doll," Danny croaked. "I need to breathe here."

Grace loosened her arms enough that Danny was able to pull her away. He could've passed her on to someone else, but Grace looked at him with her sad eyes and he was putty in her hands. "'Ey Mac, Stell, could you give us a sec?" He didn't wait for an answer. He carried her to his car and set her down on the hood. "Doll face? Could you tell me what's wrong?"

Grace looked up at him with her wide green eyes. Her gaze was pure sadness. "Momma died," she said, a tear slipping down her face.

Although shocked, Danny automatically wiped it away. "I am so sorry, Doll face," he said sincerely. He bent down to her level, looking her in the eyes. "I have to talk to Mac, and I need you to go with Stella."

Grace blinked slowly. "Will you come back?" she asked, remembering their last meeting.

He tapped her temple with his index finger. "I always do." Grace reluctantly allowed him to lead her over to where Stella and Mac were quietly talking. "Sorry," Danny said.

Stella looked down at Grace who was holding onto Danny's hand for dear life. "C'mon, Grace. We'll go get something to eat. Then you can see Danny again."

Danny watched Stella and Grace walk away, turning away when Grace looked helplessly back at him.

"How do you know Grace?" Mac asked at the same time Danny asked, "What happened to Holly?"

Lindsay, who was still standing to the side, stepped forward. "I'm going to go check these fingerprints," she said awkwardly.

Danny waited until she was out of hearing distance before turning to Mac. "I used to date Holly. What happened to her?"

Mac stared at him. "She was murdered in the bedroom of her apartment," he finally said. He saw Danny's worried look. "Grace didn't see or hear anything."

Danny ran his hand through his hair and let out a nervous laugh. "I never thought I'd see that little girl again," he admitted with a sigh.

"Danny," Mac warned, "You have to stay hands off on this case. You have personal ties to the victim and her daughter, and, when we catch the person who did it, I don't want them set free on a technicality."

Danny nodded seriously, remembering what happened to Aiden when she got personally involved. She'd almost tampered with evidence and lost her job because of it. "I know, Mac," he assured the man. "Me an' Montana got a case anyway. DB down at the docks."

Mac smiled thinly and patted Danny on the shoulder. "We'll get the man responsible for this," he promised.

Danny barely acknowledged Mac's attempt at comfort as he turned away with a sober expression. Mac watched him walk away, wondering if he'd loved Holly, knowing how it felt to lose a loved one.

Mac went to his office while Danny met Lindsay in the lab. Lindsay and Danny worked side by side silently until Lindsay broke the silence. "Is she your daughter?" she asked without looking at him.

Danny turned from the garbage bag he'd been processing and stared at the back of her head. "Why would you ask that?" he asked.

Lindsay shrugged, still not looking at him. "Her reaction to seeing you, your reaction to seeing her..."

Danny chuckled. "Naw, she's not my daughter. I dated her mom for a while. It was a pretty bad breakup."

"Was it," Lindsay started hesitantly. She paused. "Was it because of Grace?" There was not judgement of any kind in her tone.

Danny spun her chair around and placed his hands on the counter on either side of her. "Are you implying that I broke up with Holly because she had a kid?" Lindsay was staring up at him with no expression. He didn't want or wait for an answer. "Because I didn't. Grace was probably what attracted me to her the most."

Lindsay relaxed. He was no longer angry or indignant; he was reliving a memory. "I met Grace after dating Holly for a coupla months." He laughed softly. "I stepped on some of her crayons and broke them. She kicked me and told me I had to buy her some more. Holly saved me from Grace when shewas ready to throw a tantrum. I never bought Grace the new crayons."

Lindsay watched as several expressions flew across Danny's face: anger, sadness, happiness before finally settling on sadness. "What happened?" she asked quietly, not wanting to bring Danny out of his memories.

Danny realized that he still had Lindsay boxed in and back away. "We dated for about six months and settled into a sort of family type thing and she suddenly broke it off. One second we were watching a movie, eating at the table then _bam_. It's over. No explanation. Told me not to come around her or Grace ever again. I didn't listen at first; there was just...I mean, besides work, I'd basically made Grace my life. I couldn't just give up a big part of my life, but Holly threatened to get a restraining order so I backed off."

He pushed back his lab coat and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "Now Holly's dead and Grace is here. Being sad was never Grace's thing, but she is. Sad, I mean."

Lindsay abruptly stood up and hugged him. Danny stood there for a minute before stiffly hugging her back. She pulled back with a soft smile. "You looked like you needed a hug," she said in response to his questioning look.

Danny rolled his eyes and gently cuffed her chin. "You are somethin' else, Montana," he said fondly.

Lindsay turned back to her work with a smile. Danny had opened up and Lindsay had gotten a hug in. To think that all it had taken was a little girl with bright eyes and a heart melting smile.

((((((CSI:NY))))))

Mac sighed and sat back in his chair. No one would take his calls at Child Services and he didn't know what to do. Everyone, except maybe Hawkes, seemed to be a little more involved in the case than they should be, and that was dangerous.

In the few short hours that he'd known Grace, he'd witnessed and been on the receiving end of her ability to wrap everyone around her little finger.

Mac was brought out of his thoughts when Stella walked in holding a crying Grace and a couple of bags of food. "A little help?" she said, looking pointedly at Grace.

Though it was clearly obvious that Stella wanted him to take Grace, Mac relieved her of the food.

Since she was free to comfort Grace, Stella bounced the girl a little. "Grace, baby," she said awkwardly, "I'll get you another cricket. I'll even spring for a little aquarium to put him in."

Mac watched as Stella tried to comfort the young girl. It could be deduced that Bob, the cricket Grace had stuffed into her pocket earlier that day, was dead.

"No," Grace said tearfully, "He was a bug and I don't care. I want my momma!"

Stella looked desperately at Mac. He had no idea what to say to comfort either one of the females in his office. Thankfully, his pager went off. It was Hawkes.

"Mac," Stella said firmly, making a decision, "Make the arrangements. I'm taking Grace home and she's staying with me until we can find a more permanent arrangement. I'll be back in the morning." She turned and walked out with Grace in her arms.

Mac watched them go, realizing belatedly that Stella had just ordered him, her boss, around and should've been reprimanded for it. Shaking his head at the power Stella had over him, Mac picked up the phone. "I need a favor..."

A little later, he hung up. It had taken a lot of promised favors, but Grace was officially and legally staying with Stella until the case was solved and they could find something a little more permanent. He stood up and went to the lab to talk to Hawkes.

"What did you find?" Mac asked as he pulled on a lab coat and rubber gloves.

Hawkes showed him a blue men's tie. "It was on the bed. It's ripped here and there's a little blood on it. I haven't had a chance to look at the scrapings from the vic's fingernails or her clothes, but here's a blue fiber from the vic's hair. It's the same color as the tie...I'm thinking strangulation."

Mac nodded thoughtfully. "Only one way to find out."

TBC...It's past 3 a.m. and I am SOOO tired. Sorry about the delay getting it up. Reviewing speeds up the process...


	5. Chapter 4

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 4**

It was a fitful night for Stella and Grace. Neither got much sleep. Grace kept waking up crying for her mom and Stella would hold her and soothe her back to sleep.

That continued all night until Stella gave up on sleep at around 4:30. She carried Grace into the living room and turned on the tv. They watched the Disney Channel until Grace fell back asleep. At around six, Stella had fallen into a light snooze when she was jolted into full alert.

The first thing she did was look for Grace, but the little girl was gone!

Stella sat up and quickly looked around the room. When she didn't see Grace, Stella went into the kitchen where she found Grace sitting in the middle of the kitchen table. She was staring at an empty bowl with vacant eyes. "It's empty," Grace said in a small voice.

Even though there was obviously some deeper meaning in that, Stella immediately pulled out a box of Captain Crunch and a quart of milk. The little girl had to have crawled all over Stella's countertops to get to the cabinet where the bowls were, that much was obvious from the open cabinets. So why hadn't she got the cereal herself?

Grace shook her head when Stella tried to pour the cereal. "I'll do it," she said stubbornly.

Stella watched Grace carefully pour cereal then milk into the bowl, ready to lend a hand if necessary. Grace did it without spilling a single drop of milk. Stella gave her a spoon before getting her own bowl and sitting in a chair.

Grace was an elegant pourer, but she somehow managed to get cereal all down her front and even went so far as to get it in her hair. She needed a bath and there were no clothes for her to change into.

Just as the dreaded thought went through Stella's head, there was a knock on her door. "I'll be right back," Stella promised her little guest.

Grace ignored Stella, and concentrated on getting the spoon full of cereal into her mouth.

When Stella pulled the door open, she was really surprised to see Danny with a large pink duffle bag in his hand. "Danny," Stella said.

He smiled nervously. "I know it's a little early, but Grace always was an early riser...anyway, here are some of her clothes."

"Why don't you come in?" Stella suggested instead of taking the bag.

Danny sighed with relief. He thought he would have to make up an excuse to get into the apartment. He followed Stella into the kitchen. Grace was staring at the soggy bits floating in the milk. She was sticky from head to toe. "Drink your milk, Doll face," Danny coaxed teasingly.

Grace's head shot up and her eyes lit up. "Danny," she said with a sigh.

Danny avoided looking directly into her face for fear that she would convince him to do something stupid. She had that power over him, that much was true. Shaking himself out of the thoughts of the horrid night of pink fingernail polish and blue eye shadow, Danny gave Grace's general direction a stern look. "Drink your milk so we can get you into a bath and into the new dress I bought you."

Stella watched the exchange silently, wincing when most of the milk made it onto her table. "Don't let her sit on the table any more," Danny advised wisely, passing the bag to Stella. He carefully picked Grace up and set her down on the floor. Danny undressed her until she was down to her Blue's Clues panties. "Stella's going to give you a bath now. I'll be here with your dress when you get out."

Grace toed the ground with her bare foot. "Danny?"

"Yeah, Doll face?"

"I missed you." She smiled sweetly and ran to the bathroom.

Stella gave the bag back to Danny. "You're gonna tell me how you know her," she warned, "after her bath."

Danny just smiled.

Mac pushed his way into his office and was surprised to see Stella sitting there with Grace. They both looked tired, but Grace was plenty occupied with her Strawberry Shortcake coloring book. Grace's curly hair was pulled back in a clip and she was wearing a light pink sundress with little black flip flops. "You do know it's forty degrees outside?" Mac asked Stella.

"It's Danny's fault. We brought a blanket." She indicated the fuzzy purple blanket on the back of Mac's chair.

"What are you going to do with Grace while you work?" he asked.

"I think she could stay in the lab with whoever's in there at the time. She won't disturb anyone. I'll work on the epitheleals from the tie and find out whose it actually is."

Mac nodded his consent. "Make sure Grace stays occupied. A lab isn't exactly a sound enviroment for a child."

Stella stood up and offered her hand to Grace. "Tell you what. Find a decent babysitter or daycare and pay for it and I'll take her there."

Mac watched them go, wondering how much sleep Stella had managed to get. He shook his head. It wouldn't be long before they found out who strangled Holly with the tie so he didn't mind Grace sticking around the lab as long as she stayed out of trouble.

Danny was working specifically in the lab so he could be there with Grace. When they talked over coffee that morning after Stella had given Grace a bath, they discussed what should be done with her while they worked. She brought up keeping Grace in the lab and he agreed to back her up if it was needed.

Danny tried to be casual when Stella and Grace came in, but there was no denying the way his eyes lit up when he saw Grace. "Sit down over there, Doll, and color in your book," he instructed when Grace pulled back from their hug.

Grace yawned and rubbed her eyes. "'Kay," she said agreeably.

Stella turned her back on them and started working on the tie. Danny caught sit of it and froze. "Uh, Stell?" he said hesitantly.

Stella half turned, not taking her eyes off what she was doing. "Yeah, Danny?"

"You said that was the tie that killed Hol--the vic?"

Stella nodded absent mindedly.

"That's my tie."

TBC...This is super short. I already have the first chapter written, but I'm not sure I'm gonna post it because...well, it sucks. What I need is a beta. One who's as eclectic as I am...Grey's Anatomy, CSI, CSI:NY, CSI: Miami, Startgate SG1, Bones, House...I watch 'em all and have lotsa story ideas. Heck, more than one (beta) would do! Sorry for rambling there.


	6. Chapter 5

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 5**

Stella finally tore her eyes away from the tie and stared at Danny in shock. Pushing the shock aside, she stood up a little straighter. "Danny, take Grace and go to Mac's office," she instructed.

"I'm a suspect?" Danny asked glumly.

"You're a suspect," Stella confirmed.

Grace had just started coloring Pupcake when Danny picked her up. "Hey!" she protested half-heartedly, automatically snuggling into his embrace.

"We're goin' to Mac's office," Danny said grimly, making a face at the coloring book as he picked it up. Danny always associated Grace with crayons; she always had some. That's why, when he'd bought the coloring book, he hadn't bought her crayons. The only crayon she had was the blue crayon that was used to add some color to the hospital wall.

Stella waited until Danny was out of eyesight before calling Mac. "The tie is Danny's. He's on his way to your office." She paused and listened to what Mac had to say. "I'll see what I can get from the epitheleals," she agreed.

Mac hung up the phone as Danny walked in with Grace. "Take a seat, Danny," Mac ordered.

Danny sat down and allowed the squirming girl to wiggle from his grasp. She gave him a disgruntled look and carried her coloring book to a corner. She sent him a cute little kid glare as she sat down and resumed coloring.

"The tie is mine, but there's probably more of my stuff in that apartment. I didn't kill her."

"I believe you," Mac said.

Danny looked at him and knew. "You have to suspend me anyway," he stated.

Mac reluctantly nodded. "I'm going to need your shield and your gun, Danny." He gave Danny a comforting smile. "This is just protocol. I honestly don't believe you did it."

Danny tried to give Mac a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. He stood up and relieved himself of his badge and firearm. "I understand." He really did.

A distinctly Stella-like voice floated into Mac's range of thought in the form of a good idea. "You could watch Grace while we work."

Danny blinked. "Okay," he instantly agreed, glancing at the girl. Grace was concentrating overly hard on her blue picture, her tongue between her teeth as she colored. Boy, he'd missed that girl.

Stella sat on her chair, trying to figure out what to do next. "Stella?" She turned and smiled distractedly at Hawkes. "At a standstill?" he asked sympathetically.

Stella nodded with a frustrated sigh. "We know whose tie it is and why it was in the vic's apartment, but there are two different sets of _women's_ DNA: one matches the vic and the other isn't in the database."

"Wait," Hawkes said, "Whose tie is it?"

"Danny's," Stella said, "He had a relationship with the vic, but his DNA isn't on the tie."

Hawkes tried to look at it from and objective point of view. "He could've worn gloves," he pointed out.

Stella gave him a dirty look. "He didn't do it," she said flatly.

Hawkes let it go. "Let's see if the foreign DNA matches the hair I found on the vic's shirt."

"Why didn't you say that before you accused Danny of murder?" Stella demanded, throwing her hands up in mock exasperation.

Lindsay stopped in the doorway. "Murder?" she asked concernedly.

Stella was typing away on the computer. "Don't worry about it. He didn't murder anyone."

That did nothing to relieve Lindsay of her worry. "But he's being accused?" she asked.

"No," Hawkes hurried to assure her, not actually sure it he was telling the truth.

Lindsay gave him a skeptical look. "He's not being accused of anything," Mac said from behind her.

Stella turned around triumphantly. "It's a match. The hair Hawkes found on the vic's clothes matches the DNA on the tie. Our killer is a woman." She deflated. "But we don't have anywhere to go from here."

Mac had managed to make his way to her side. He rested his hand lightly on the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Lindsay noticed Stella's reaction to Mac's touch and stifled a grin. The antics of her boss and the other female CSI never failed to make Lindsey smile. There were so clueless of each other's feelings.

"We'll start with Danny," Mac said quietly. He saw the blatant refusal on Stella's face and started massaging her neck. "I don't mean interrogate him or even talk to him as a suspect. We need to find out the vic's schedule and who may've held a grudge. Hawkes, go ahead and work with Lindsay on the case her and Danny were working on."

Lindsay resented the implication that she couldn't close the case, but she recognized that she was still the newbie in New York. Plus, leaving would leave Mac and Stella alone. She hooked her arm in Hawkes's and practically dragged him out of the room.

"You're getting too involved," Mac said to Stella as he moved to her shoulders, trying to work out the tension that had her wound so tight.

Unbeknownst to him, a different kind of tension was taking over Stella's body. He did notice, however, that just as she was starting to relax, she tensed up again. "That case--" she started weakly.

"Can wait five minutes," Mac said firmly.

Stella relaxed completely, letting her mind drift away from the case to somewhere a little more enjoyable. Mac smiled slightly when Stella moaned in pleasure. "Mac," Stella groaned, "Your fingers are pure magic."

"Thanks," Mac said gruffly. He could've slipped in an innuendo or sarcastic remark, but he wasn't that kind of person.

Stella realized what she had said and the many ways it could've been interpreted and was really glad that Mac was such a decent guy. "I can't help getting involved," Stella said when the silence to to be too much. "That little girl's life was ruined at the drop of a hat--or at the tightening of a tie." She laughed mirthlessly, barely even noticing that Mac stopped his massage and came around in front of her to listen. "Grace...she's amazing. Her life was ripped apart and she's still amazingly amazing. Danny's good with her. He told me the basic story behind it all and she's lucky to have him and vice versa. I didn't know Holly Daniels, but I bet she was a good person."

Mac leaned against his desk and ducked his head so his eyes were level with Stella's. "A lot of bad things happen to lot of of good people," he said softly. "Children are orphaned everyday because of such terrible things." He reached out and wiped a tear that had leaked past Stella's defenses. "It's truly a sad thing, but we can't help everyone."

Stella drew herself up and impatiently wiped away another tear. "Maybe not, but I can help Grace." She glared at him, daring him to say something to contradict her. He didn't. "I'm going to find out who killed Holly Daniels and I'm going to arrest her...then..." She paused. "I'm not actually sure what I'll do then so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Let's go talk to Danny," Mac suggested diplomatically.

Stella looked at his face and suddenly grinned. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

Mac straightened up. "Come on. We'll stop and get some coffee. The bumbling emotions are getting to me," he said seriously, his eyes dancing.

The not-so-subtle reference to her emotional outburst wasn't lost on Stella. "Watch it," she warned. "I have a key to your apartment and a little girl with a blue crayon."

Mac didn't understand the signifigance of that last part, but he figured the blue crayon was somehow important. He smiled and shook his head as he followed her out of the office.

TBC...It's 1 a.m. I'm staying with a friend tomorrow so I thought I would get this typed up tonight. Thank you to Charmed-angel4 for beta-ing!


	7. Chapter 6

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 6**

Danny opened the door looking quite happy and carefree with Grace on his shoulders. Her arms were wrapped around his head and she was giggling.

"Hey, Grace, you have a Danny standing under you," Stella teased the little girl.

Grace grinned. "Yep, and he gotta Gracie on him!" she said happily.

Danny reached up and lifted Grace off his shoulders. He held her one-armed like one would hold a surf board. "Come on, Doll Face." He jerked his head, indicating that Stella and Mac should come in.

Danny led them into the living room. It looked like a war zone. There were several papers scattered all over the room, colored with markers or crayons. Pillows were let haphazardly in between the papers. "We were, ah, playing," Danny said sheepishly, depositing Grace onto the sofa.

"We figured." Stella smiled at him and Danny noticed the worry in her eyes.

"Grace," Danny said, turning to the small girl, "Do you want to watch _The Little Mermaid_?" Mac and Stella smirked at one another as he slipped the DVD into the DVD player.

Grace sat back with a self-satisfied grin. Danny had taken her to the mall to find something to do and he'd ended up spending a small fortune on Disney movies. Then he'd bought crayons and markers, at Grace's urging.

"We can talk in here," Danny said, leading Stella and Mac into a small dining room where they could talk and Danny could still keep an eye on Grace. "Coffee?" he offered.

Stella nodded, but Mac politely declined. After giving Stella her coffee, Danny settled into the chair. "We need you to write down Holly's schedule," Stella said, sliding a pen and a pad of paper across the table.

Danny took the pen and started writing. "I don't know how accurate this'll be," Danny said. "I haven't seen her since January."

Mac smiled encouragingly. "Every little bit helps."

Danny nodded. He really hated that he was being treated like a suspect/victim's family. The were walking on glass around him. The thing was he _was_ sort of Holly's only family. Before she dumped him, that is. "Here." He slid the pad of paper back to Stella. "That's her everyday routine. Or at least it was in January."

Mac took the pad from Stella after she glanced it over. When their fingers brushed, Stella gulped audibly and Mac blushed a bit. Danny watched the exchanged and smirked to himself. Something had changed between them.

"Does Miss Daniels have any enemies--someone that would want to hurt her?" Mac asked.

Danny shrugged. "She was a waitress." When all he got was blank stares, he attempted to explain. "Sometimes, Holly would get worked up over poor tippers or frisky jerks. Some people get a little pissy when a waitress dumps hot coffee in their laps."

"Understandable," Stella said.

"But not exactly motive for murder," Mac pointed out.

"Mac," Danny said with a smirk, "Has your--Have you ever had scalding hot coffee spilled in your...lap? Not a pleasant feeling, I assure you." Stella raised her eyebrows. "It's how we met. I was the frisky jerk and she was the angry waitress. When she dumped that coffee in my lap, I was ready to bring her in for assault."

"It wouldn't have stuck," Stella pointed out, thoroughly enjoying the story. Holly Daniels was her kind of lady. Strong, independent, didn't take crap from anyone...one could only hope that Grace was the same.

"That's one of the reasons I didn't do it. I waited until her shift was over and apologized for being a pig and she apologized for pouring coffee on me. She asked me out, and the rest is history."

Mac realized that, while Danny looked sad, he looked back on the memories with nothing but fondness. The death of a loved one is always sad, but when you look back on the happy times you had, things seem a little easier. The pain of losing someone doesn't go away, but it gets easier to adapt and maintain.

"I'm thirsty!" Grace yelled.

"I'm not your servant, Grace. If you're thirsty, get yourself something to drink!" Danny called back.

Of course, having a constant reminder of the good times helps.

Grace sighed loudly and walked to the fridge. Before opening the door, Grace turned around and studied the adults. Nodding to herself, she opened the door and pulled three juice boxes out of the newly stocked fridge. She kicked the door shut with her bare foot before walking over and giving one of the juice boxes to Stella.

Stella thanked her with a smile, and Grace moved on to Mac. "Hereyago, Mac," she said sweetly, saying an entire sentence like it was one word.

Mac smiled slightly and took the juice box. "Thank you very much, Gracie," he said sincerely. Grace watched him until he poked the straw into the little box and took a long drink. He felt like a little kid.

"Where's mine?" Danny teased.

"I'm not your servant, buddy. If you're thirsty, get something to drink," the little girl mocked.

Danny smiled as Grace threw his words back at him. "Movie over?" he asked.

Grace shook her head. "Open, please," she said, shoving the juice box at him. Danny obediently did so, and Grace ran back into the living room.

"Just write down the name of the uh restaurant? It's a restaurant right?" Mac asked.

"Diner," Danny corrected, taking the pad and paper.

"Right. Write down the name of the diner Miss Daniels waitressed at and we'll go."

Danny quickly scribbled the name of the diner and the address. "Uh, Stella," he said when the stood up to go. Stella looked at him expectantly. "If you want, Grace can--"

"Uh, no thanks, Danny," Stella quickly interrupted. He was obviously about to offer to let Grace stay there. "I'll pick Grace up later."

She knew Danny had a connection to the girl, but she did too. There was just a feeling she couldn't shake, like maybe Grace could give her a real fighting chance. At life. She glanced at Mac. At love. "See you later, Grace!"

"Bye!" Grace squealed happily.

Oh yeah. There was definitely something about that girl.

TBC...Sorry it took so long to update. My birthday was April 26 and I was waiting on my new computer to write this (and there was a bit of writer's block). Still haven't got it yet and it's May 4...oh well. Some people may think Grace is getting over her mother's death too fast...it isn't so! Wait and read what's next before judging! Reviews make the world go round...OH! I'm about to start a new CSI:NY fic! It's Lindsay-centric and it'll definitely be DL...I can't wait because everyone will be sooooo surprised!


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey people. Yep, a new chapter. There may be mistakes and stuff because it's not betaed and I'm took lazy to read over it...**

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 7**

Stella sat in the passenger seat staring out the window. They were meeting Flack at Sunset Diner. The traffic was particularly bad at that time of day and she was getting a lot of thinking done. "Do you think I should've taken him up on his offer?" she asked abruptly.

Mac looked over at her in surprise. "What offer?" he asked blankly.

"Danny's offer to let Grace stay with him," Stella said.

Mac sighed. "You must've had a good reason not to," he pointed out. "You wouldn't keep Grace from him if there wasn't. Anyone can see that they adore each other."

Even though she knew Mac would never judge her, Stella bowed her head in shame. "That's just it," she said quietly. "They adore each other, and I want to keep Grace close because--because..." she trailed off, not really knowing how to explain it.

"Because why, Stella?" Mac asked gently. It was obvious that it was really bothering her. He would talk her through it without offering uneeded advice or opinions.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's some sort of need to protect or maybe be protected. Grace is a little girl. I don't--What am I doing? What if I'm just using Grace because her love is pure and I need to feel loved? What kind of horrible--" She was rambling, more to herself than to Mac.

He knew she'd be embarrassed when she realized how much of her true fears and feelings she'd exposed. "Stella," he interrupted, reaching over and squeezing her hand. "You wouldn't do that." So much for the no opinion thing. "The needs to protect or be protected aren't bad needs. As for using Grace for her--ah, pure love was it?--Never. You're a good person, Stel."

Stella smiled at his gentle teasing and suddenly felt completely embarrassed over her breif freak out. "Sorry," she said as they pulled up to Sunset Diner. "I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine," Mac assure her. He knew better than to tell her it was "nothing" or push it off.

Stella was amazed by his patience with her and his innate ability to make her feel better. "Good cop/bad cop?" she suggested jokingly.

"Questioning, not interrogating," Mac said in the same tone.

Stella smiled at Flack as she stepped out of the vehicle. "Hey there, Detective," she said.

"Hey Stel. Hey Mac," Flack greeted the two CSIs. He led the way into the diner.

It was bustling with activity. A whort blonde waitress with a coffee pot in her hand stopped. "Take a seat," she barked.

Flack smiled and whoed her his badge. She just stared at him, blatantly unimpressed. "Could you direct us the the, uh, manager?" Mac asked.

She pointed towards the counter. There was a large man of bouncer proportions taking orders and refilling coffee cups.

"Hi," Flack greeted, leaning against the counter.

"Wait your turn," the man snapped. Flack casually slid his badge across the counter. As before with the waitress, the man was not impressed. "Police have to pay full price like everyone else."

"We need to ask you a few questions."

"Darla! Take over!" he yelled after a few minutes of quiet contemplation. A tall red-haired woman took over manning the counter while the big man led Stella, Mac, and Flack into the back. "What's this about?" the man grumbled as he sat down.

"Well, Mr..."

"Johnny. Johnny Greison," he said, giving Stella an apraising look.

"We're here to talk about Holly Daniels," Stella supplied.

Johnny snorted. "That b--"

"Mr. Greison," Mac interrupted warningly.

Johnny sighed with obvious frustration. "Holly was supposed to be in early this morning, but she never showed up. Left us short handed. Probably because that brat of hers."

Stella's eyes hardened at Johnny's obvious dislike of Grace. "Holly Daniels is dead," Flack said grimly.

Johnny looked genuinely surprised. "Whoa, sorry man. I didn't mean to, ya know, disrespect the dead or anything."

Mac couldn't help but notice how the large man was staring at Stella. He didn't like it. "Were there any threats or unhappy customers?" he asked, subtly moving a little in front of Stella.

Johnny eyes narrowed a bit at the hostility in Mac's body language. Sure, he _sounded_ moderately friendly, but the cold eyes and ready-to-jump-on-Johnny-at-the-slightest-sign-of-danger stance was very off putting. "No. Except for the occasional truck driver, Holly was loved by all. She was inconsistant because of her br--kid, but she brought in the biggest tips."

Flack nodded like he was just clued in on a secret. "She was a babe," he concluded.

"Drop dead gorgeous," Johnny agreed, staring at Stella's body like he had x-ray vision.

Just in case, Mac moved fully in front of Stella. She had other ideas though. She expertly moved around Mac and sat on an uncomfortable folding chair across from Johnny. "You liked her, right?"

"She had a boyfriend," Johnny countered, "Danny somethin' or another. You ask me, you should be talkin' to him. There was somethin' weird going on there."

Stella's eyes narrowed. He looked like he was keeping something from them. The two male detectives exchanged worried looks. "Whaddaya mean?" Flack asked.

"They were so inseperable it was nauseating. He brought her daughter in and they would buy practically the whole menu every time they came in. I've never seen a little girl eat so much--"

"Focus," Stella ordered.

"Right. Around the first of Januart, Holly had to ake off to take her kid to the hospital. After that, the guy stopped coming in. I found her cryin' a coupla times."

"But she said they were still together?" Mac asked.

"Yeah." Johnny shrugged casually, but Stella saw the anger in his eyes.

"Do you know why Grace had to go to the hospital?" she asked worriedly. Her new charge was first priority.

"Nope."

"Do you mind if we talk to your waitresses?" Mac asked politely.

Johnny shrugged again. "Just don't distract them," he warned.

Mac nodded and turned away with Flack. It took him a few seconds to realize that Stella wasn't beside him as he expected. He turned back and saw that she was involved in a pretty intense staring contest with Johnny. Her gaze had a hostile edge to it, but Johnny's was downright lustful. That was unacceptable. "Stella," Mac said quietly, succeeding in keeping all emotion out of his voice.

"I'll be there in a sec, Mac," she said without looking away from Johnny.

Mac knew that Stella could take care of herself, but he really didn't want to leave her alone with that guy. "Detective Bonesera," Mac said. He hated that he was pulling the boss card, but Stella didn't look ready to move.

She finally turned away from Johnny. "I'll be fine," she said quietly. Her eyes were begging him to trust her.

When Mac was out of sight, Johnny laid a big meaty hand on Stella's thigh. She grabbed his wrist and pulled it off. "Did you like her?"

"Of course. She was hot."

"Did you ever sleep with her?"

Johnny snorted. "Holly turned her nose up at guys like me. She had standards that I could never live up to."

Realization dawned on Stella's face. "You asked her out, but she turned you down."

Johnny's face contorted in anger at Stella's goading. "Listen here, little girl. Me 'n Holly? We grew up in the same neighborhood. She found some poor rich schmuck to marry 'er and he died. When she came crawling back, I gve her a job out of the goodness of my heart." Stella snorted derisively. "Then she finds some high class man and he dumps her. Oh yeah, I knew it was over back in January, but she kept insisting they were together."

"Where were you last night, Mr. Greison?" Stella asked.

"At home," he sneered.

"Anybody to confirm that?"

"I live alone," he growled.

"That's too bad," Stella said, standing up. "Because you just made it to the top of the suspect list." She moved to get Flack and Johnny grabbed her wrist in a painful grip. "Let go," Stella ordered in a controlled tone, hiding her pained look.

"Or what?" Johnny challenged. He tightened his grip and Stella heard something crack as a seraring pain shot up her arm. She swung around and punched him in the nose.

"SONUVABITCH!" he roared, trying to stop the blood from gushing from his nose.

Mac was instantly in the room with his gun out, Flack on his heels. He hurriedly took stock of the situation before holstering his gun. Stella was cradling her arm protectively, and Johnny was trying to determine whether or not his nose was broken.

"You're under arrest for assaulting a police officer," Flack said, pulling Johnny up and cuffing his hands behind his back.

"You okay?" Mac asked Stella.

"I think he broke it," she said, showing him her wrist.

Mac nodded, lightly running his fingers over the already swelled wrist. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, "I should've--"

"Mac," Stella assured with a small, wobbly smile. "I told you to go. I'm glad too." She rolled her eyes at Mac's disturbed look. "It was informative. He didn't like Holly because he wasn't good enough for her...or something."

Mac led her out of the diner and to the car. "And since he obviously has a temper..."

"It is possible," Stella said.

The entire ride tot he hospital was made in silence. The guilt was weighing Mac down, and Stella was mentally going over the case evidence to distract herself from the pain. "It couldn't have been him," she realized when they pulled into the hospital parking lot. "The epitheleals on the tie are female."

"An accomplice?" Mac suggested as he opened Stella's door for her. She smiled in thanks.

"What did you get from the waitresses?" she asked.

"Nothing really. All of them seem to hate their boss and love Holly, but none of them were that close to her."

"_None_ of them were close to Holly?" Stella asked skeptically.

"Darla gave us the name of this girl that was fired about a week ago. She was close to Holly. I'll go question her later," he said casually.

"_You_ will? What about me?" Stella asked indignantly as she accepted the forms that needed to be filled out.

Since her right hand/wrist was hurt, she gave the forms to Mac to fill out. "I think you should go home and rest," he said, starting on the forms.

"Mac," Stella said sweetly, "My wrist was squeezed a little; I didn't get shot."

Mac smothered a smile and knocked on the coffee table. He knew when he brought it up that she wouldn't go for it.

The pain in Stella's wrist had dulled to an aching throb, but it was getting harder to ignore.

"I with we had more physical evidence to go off of," she said out loud, trying to distract herself from the pain.

"The evidence we have will be enough if we can just find the right person." Mac noticed the strain in Stella's voice and the way she was gripped the chair with her uninjured hand. He hurriedly finished the forms and turned them in.

When Mac sat back down, he took Stella's uninjured hand in his. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Concentrating on the case," she said. "I keep going over it in my head. How do you kill someone with their daughter in the next room?"

"Very quietly. The window was open," Mac pointed out. "We have enough evidence to put this person away."

"Right. We have the DNA, we just need someone to match it to." Stella immediately felt bad for the bitter sarcasm. Mac was trying to help. "Sorry."

A door opened. "Bonesera," a nurse called just as Mac's phone rang.

"I'll be there in a minute," Mac promised as he stepped away to answer his phone. "Taylor."

"Hey, Mac," Flack said. "A woman was brought in for pokin' around the crime scene. You want me to hold 'er 'til you get here?"

"That would be great," Mac said. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

When Mac stepped into the room, Stella gave him a small cmile. "What's up?" she asked curiously.

"Flack picked up a woman at the crims scene. He's holding her until we get there."

"Might be who killed our vic," Stella said.

Mac nodded in agreement as the doctor came in.

TBC...

**Does anyone else think Johnny deserved what he got and more? That jerk. He was from my own imagination and I wanted to push him off a tall building. How sad is that? So thanks to those who reviewed. I wasn't sure if Grace was handling it right, but more Stella/Grace interaction is coming up soon! Maybe some Mac too...in my head, Mac would loosen up a bit around her...she just does that because she's fabulous like that.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 8**

Anna Wilson was sitting in an interrogation room, feeling very out of place. She jumped when the door finally opened, her heart racing as she watched the two detectives walk in. One was a man, handsome with beautiful, intense blue eyes. The other was a beautiful curly-haired woman with a white cast on her right wrist.

"I'm Detective Mac Taylor," the man said quietly, "and this is Detective Stella Bonesera."

Anna nodded politely, her hands clasped before on the table. "Why were you at the crime scene?" Stella asked.

The woman looked like she was about to burst into tears. "I didn't know it was a crime scene," Anna squeaked. "Grace never misses school, except when she went to the hospital, and I was going to check on her!"

Stella immediately softened. "You work at Grace's school?" she asked gently.

Anna nodded timidly. "I just knocked on the door and opened it when there was no answer and I was arrested."

Stella and Mac exchanged dubious looks. "Miss Wilson, the officer said that you were coming out, not going in."

Anna shook her head. "No! I turned around when I heard him coming up the stairs. Maybe he thought I was coming out when I turned around." She stared at the hard, gray surface in front of her, her breathing erratic, as a tear leaked out. "Is Grace okay?" she asked in a small voice.

"She's fine," Stella assured her.

"You're free to go, Miss Wilson," Mac added with a kind smile.

"That wasn't the lead I was hoping for," Stella grumbled when Anna was gone.

"That means we keep going," Mac pointed out.

"I know," Stella said, looking pointedly down at her cast-covered hand. "It hurts, but I don't want to take the pain medication."

"Go home, Stel," Mac urged. "I can go talk to the waitress on my own."

"No," Stella said firmly. "This is my case too."

"Stella," Mac tried to reason.

"No," Stella said stubbornly, standing up. "Come on. If we're going to get there and back before dark..."

Mac hurriedly stood up and grabbed Stella's uninjured hand. "For tonight, the case can wait," he said, making a split-second decision. If him letting it rest for the night got Stella to rest, then he was all for it. "I'll go with you to get Grace and drop you off at home."

"Mine or yours?" Stella asked innocently.

Mac stared at her. That threw him a little off balance. "What?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, you just said 'home'. You didn't specify whose."

Mac smiled slightly. "Yours."

"And what will you do for the night?" she asked, squeezing his hand.

He moved a little closer when she tugged on his hand. "I don't really know," he admitted softly, standing closer than he probably should have.

"Great!" she said brightly, trying not to let it show how their close proximity was affecting her. "Pizza and movies at my place. When you pick out the movies, keep Grace in mind."

"No," Mac said firmly.

"No? You're not going to keep Grace in mind?" Stella reached up and tugged on his tie. "You could scar the girl for life."

"I don't think movie night at your place is a good idea," Mac corrected. It was getting a little difficult to keep his thoughts in order.

Stella rolled her eyes. "Me and Grace'll take a cab. Be at my place at 7." She slipped out the door before Mac could protest again.

Before Stella made it out of the building, Lindsay intercepted her. "Need a ride?" she asked with a wide smile. She had watched the "interrogation" of Anna Wilson and everything that happened afterwards.

"Mac sent you didn't he?" Stella asked, not at all surprised. She took it all in stride as Lindsay shrugged. "Yeah, I could use a ride."

Danny was a little surprised at the two women standing at his door. "'Ey Montana," he greeted.

Grace stepped around him. "Your name is Montana? Do you know that Montana's a state? Did your mom name you that?" She slipped her hand into Lindsay's and dragged her into the apartment.

"Makes friends wherever she goes," Stella said dryly.

"Which one?" Danny asked with a grin.

"Hey Danny!" Grace squealed. "Montana knows Montana's a state 'cause she used to live there! How cool is that?"

Lindsay gave Danny an exasperated look, but smiled despite herself. She'd tried to explain to Grace that her name wasn't Montana, that Danny only called her that because that's where she was from. Apparently, the only thing that had gotten through to her was the part about Lindsay being from Montana.

"That is cool, doll face," Danny said fondly.

"Are you ready to go, Grace?" Stella asked.

"Yeah!" Grace cheered. She saw the disappointment on Danny's face and ran over and hugged his legs. "I love you, Danny," she said happily. "I'll come back and we can play dress up and you can wear the sparkly purple hat and the yellow boa and I'll wear your glasses and your really white coat and I won't throw the ball that some silly person wrote on." She took a deep breath after that super-long run-on sentence; her tone conveying just how silly she thought it was to write on a ball.

"It's autographed, not..." Danny trailed off when he realized he was doing it again. Grace didn't know or care about baseball or the significance of an autographed ball.

"Hey Danny," Stella said, an idea popping into her head. "Why don't you and Lindsay come over to my place? Mac's already bringing movies, and I'll order a couple more pizzas..."

Danny watched Lindsay shake her head pointedly behind Stella's back. "Naw. Me an' Lindsay have plans tonight."

"Together?" Stella asked.

"No," Lindsay said at the same time Danny said, "Yes."

Danny raised his eyebrows at Lindsay, saying with his look that he would accept Stella's offer if she didn't agree with him. "Yes," Lindsay said guiltily. She was a terrible liar.

Stella jumped to her own conclusions about the obvious guilt, but decided not to bring it up at that moment. "Okay," she said reluctantly.

Danny crouched down and pulled Grace into a hug. "Be good for Stella," he said sternly.

Grace pulled away from the hug, batting her eyelashes. "I'm always good," she said innocently. Danny rolled his eyes bashfully when she placed a kiss on his cheek.

Lindsay was the last one out and she heard his whisper, "I love you, Grace." It was obvious that he didn't want anyone to hear the quiet declaration, but she was really glad that she did. It warmed her from the inside to know that Danny wasn't the jerk she'd originally thought he was. No, he was a big softie. "See ya later, Montana!" Danny said in a much louder voice, reminding her of their "plans".

Then again... Lindsay smiled to herself at how undecided she was on Danny Messer.

When Stella walked into her apartment with Grace, she wasn't really surprised that Mac was already there. She'd given him a key after 9/11 when hisempty apartment had made him feel lonely. "Hey Mac!" Grace squealed.

Mac smiled softly. "Hey Gracie," he said in a much more controlled tone.

"What movies did you get?" Stella asked, seeing the rental bag on her kitchen counter. She picked up the phone and gave it to him.

Mac took it, knowing what she was getting at. "Grace, what do you like on your pizza?" he asked as Stella curiously looked in the bag.

"Pepperoni!" Grace said cheerfully, climbing onto a chair and onto Stella's kitchen table. "Hey Stella. Can I sign your cast? When I had one, it was green and it was bright and Danny wrote _all_ over it."

"When did you have a cast?" Stella asked before she could see what movies they were going to see. Mac quietly ordered half pepperoni and half supreme while listening to see what Grace and Stella were saying.

"I fell off the table," she tapped the table she was sitting on for emphasis, "I fell on a broke chair and broke my arm and got a big cut on my belly." She stood up and pulled up her shirt. There was a thin white scar on her side. "There was a really pretty bruise, but it hurt real bad."

"Did you have to go to the hospital?" Stella asked, the pieces falling into place.

_"Around the first of January, Holly had to take off to take her kid to the hospital."_

_"Grace never misses school, except when she went to the hospital..."_

"Yep!" Grace said cheerfully, sitting back down. "I hadda spend the night and everything!"

Stella picked her up off the table. "And you still climb on tables?" she asked crossly.

Grace shrugged. "I only fell off once, and I'm okay now." She grinned innocently, completely oblivious to Stella's worry.

"The pizza will be here in about twenty minutes," Mac said softly.

Grace turned in Stella's arms and held out her own for Mac to take her. He just stood there, looking from Grace to Stella. Stella pretty much pushed her on him, knowing he would instinctively take her. She wasn't wrong.

Stella picked up the bag of movies. "Come on," she said. "We'll wait 'til after we eat to put in the movies, but until the pizza gets here, we can see what's on tv."

Mac awkwardly followed Stella into the living room as Grace played with his tie. "Why do you wear this?" she asked innocently. "It's ugly."

Stella burst out laughing at the affronted look on Mac's face. "That wasn't very nice, Grace," she said sternly, trying to be serious when she clearly wasn't.

"Yes, it was!" Grace countered. "I was always told to tell the truth and the truth is a beautiful thing." The dramatic way she said it was cute to almost unbearable proportions.

"Seriously," Stella said laughingly. "Were you an actress in a previous life?"

Grace shrugged. She tugged on Mac's tie. "Can I play with it?"

Mac gave her a perturbed look. "What?" That, he was not expecting.

Grace rolled her eyes. "Take it off. Please," she added as an afterthought, batting her eyelashes. Her big green eyes were definitely something--a good something for her, but not for the general population.

Mac sat down on the couch and Grace patiently waited as he loosened the tie and slipped it over his head. Grace eagerly took it and set about studying the knot.

Before the pizza got there, Grace had already figured out how to successfully tie a tie, and even practiced on Mac.

"Very good," Mac praised when his tie was tied back the way it was before Grace's big eyes got in the way. He was surprised at how quickly she was able to figure out how to tie a tie when it had taken him a long time to figure it out.

Stella put the pizza on the coffee table and opened it up. She found the weird way that Grace and Mac had managed to bond very endearing. "Dig in," she said.

Unfortunately for Mac, Grace was very comfortable the way she was and wasn't about to move. That also meant that Mac's tie and shirt, along with Grace's new dress, ended up covered in pizza.

"There's still some of your clothes in the bottom drawer," Stella said helpfully. "I'll get Grace changed into her pajamas."

Stella got the little girl's clothes and some of her own and locked herself and Grace in the bathroom for twenty minutes. When they came out, both in pajama pants and t-shirts, Mac was on the couch in sweats, waiting for the girls. Bambi II was already in the DVD player, just waiting to be started.

When Stella sat beside Mac, Grace crawled out of her arms into Mac's lap. He sighed resignedly and hid a grin when Grace looked up at him suspiciously.

Grace turned out to be a great movie watcher. She giggled and squealed and, at one point, actually got up and danced. She was so adorable. When they started on Yours, Mine, and Ours, Grace snuggled into Mac's arms and fell asleep during the previews.

Stella grinned at the picture they made and desperately wished she had a camera at that very second. Mac had long ago, around the point when Grace got up and danced, relaxed and he was sitting comfortably with Grace asleep in his arms.

Mac had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched and turned his head. Stella was staring at him affectionately. "What?" he asked quietly.

Stella shook her head at him. "You are such a softie, Mac Taylor," she said, equally as soft.

Mac smiled ruefully. "You caught me," he whispered jokingly.

Stella moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt like something had changed with him, but she didn't really know if it was a bad thing.

The next thing Stella knew, Mac was shaking her awake. "Stella," he said quietly.

"What?" Stella hissed, hating to be dragged out of her fabulous dream of a family of her own.

Mac smirked and tried again. "Stella, it's almost midnight and I think your back will thank me in the morning." He stood up and shifted Grace so that he was holding her one-armed as he dragged Stella up.

Stella leaned heavily on him as he led her to her bed. He pulled back the covers for her and tried to lay Grace beside her, but the little girl wouldn't let him go. "A little help here, Stel," he said.

Stella painstakingly opened her eyes completely and smiled at the predicament he was in. "Don't worry about it, Mac," she said, shutting her eyes again. "Stay the night. You have clothes here and the monkey's not about to let you go."

Mac tried once more to get Grace off him before slipping in beside Stella, Grace the only barrier between them. Pretty soon, all three were happily enjoying their respective REM cycles.

TBC...

**A/N-Was this chapter too cheesy? I was going to have Stella and Mac kiss, but I have something great planned for them in the next couple of chapters, so...umm, yeah. I was going to start on a new chapter for my Grey's Anatomy fic, but I decided to finish this chapter instead (I got stuck around the time that Lindsay and Stella showed up at Danny's apartment.)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 9**

_Grace was having a very odd dream. She was at the seven dwarves' cottage in the woods, having a conversation with Sebastian who was in a fish bowl, and Aladdin who was sitting on top of Tigger's shoulders while he bounced. _

_She giggled as she watched Tigger and Aladdin bounce up...and down. Up...and down. All of a sudden, Thumper burst in, breathing heavily. "Fire!"_

_Grace's smile disappeared and her heart sank as she remembered that her mom was picking flowers in the meadow with Donkey. "No!" she yelled, running toward the fire._

_Nanny McPhee tapped her walking stick and Grace was running away from the fire. "No, no, no, no," Grace kept repeating, but she couldn't turn around. Nanny McPhee had banged her stick._

_Grace saw in her mind's eye her mom being engulfed by flames and Cinderella's evil step-mother, in a castle far, far away, smirking. "Mirror mirror on the wall," she said dramatically._

_The scene faded to Alice trying to figure out which bottle to drink, but the evil step-mother's voice could still be heard. "Snow White no longer matters. Is Holly dead? What about Bambi's mother?" _

_"Yes to both," an ominous, distinctly Jafar-sounding voice hissed._

_"Momma, no!" Grace sobbed._

_"Grace," a soothing voice said. "Wake up."_

"Wake up, Grace," Stella begged. The little girl was thrashing in her sleep and muttering about various Disney characters.

Grace's eyes fluttered open and she saw Stella's face. "Stella," she sobbed. It hadn't been more than a few hours since Mac had taken them to the bed.

Grace noticed Mac and turned to him with tear filled eyes. "Mac," she whispered. "It was so scary. Thumper told me there was a fire, but Nanny McPhee wouldn't let me get her. The evil step-mother stole the magic mirror and Alice picked the wrong potion, but she was okay because Jafar lit the fire." Her ramble was cut off when she let out a heart-wrenching sob.

Mac gave Stella a worried look at the brief explanation. It sounded like Disney characters were terrorizing her in her sleep. "Gracie," Mac said softly, pulling her into his arms. He could feel her sobs wrack through his own body. "Gracie, it'll be okay," he promised. "I won't let anything happen to you." He held her as Stella scooted over and put her arms around both Mac and Grace.

It didn't take long for Grace to cry herself into exhaustion. Mac and Stella still clung to the little girl as she hiccuped in her sleep. "She's going to be alright," Mac said quietly.

Stella looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and nodded. They were able to help Grace keep her mind off the death of her mom, but her subconscious wouldn't let her forget.

Mac eased his right arm out from under Grace and wrapped it around Stella. "She's going to be okay," he repeated reassuringly. He looked over at the clock. _3:13_ "Come on. Let's get back to sleep."

Stella quickly fell back asleep, but Mac was content to lay awake and listen to the even breathing of the two females.

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Mac was awoken by the sun in his eyes and a soft giggle from the end of the bed. He cracked his eyes open and saw Grace standing there, sans clothing. His cheeks reddened slightly and he glanced down at Stella, half on top of him, sleeping soundly, her broken wrist by his head. "Where are your clothes?" he asked softly.

Grace grinned, obviously having forgotten about her dream the night before. "I was gonna take a bath, but I'm not s'posed to play in the water by myself." She made a face at that and giggled. "Will you put in bubbles and stuff? I _really_ wanna play in the water."

Mac smiled slightly and carefully slid out from under Stella. She curled up at the loss of warmth, but managed to sleep on. "How about we make breakfast first?" Mac suggested, picking her discarded clothes off the floor and helping her back into them.

"I guess," Grace sighed sadly, looking mournfully toward the bathroom. Mac smiled to himself as he led her back to the kitchen. The little girl was so dramatic.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he asked.

"Hamburger?" Grace suggested hopefully.

"Pancakes it is," Mac said agreeably, lifting Grace onto the counter to help him with breakfast.

Stella woke up to the smell of breakfast. She smiled when she realized Mac had stayed the night. That was the only explanation for the delicious smells throughout her apartment. Then she remembered Grace and the terrible dream from the night before.

She stopped to watch in awe as Mac patiently watched Grace flip a small pancake. It was a sight to see: serious, broody Mac Taylor beaming when Grace managed to flip a pancake on her own.

"I did it," Grace said, awed at her culinary talent. "Hey Mac! I did it!"

Mac turned off the burner and turned to Grace. "That you did," he agreed, picking her up and setting her on the floor. He caught Stella's eye and smiled. "Go tell Stella what you did."

"Stella! I flipped the pancake all by myself! Mac said I could be a _chef_ when I grow up!"

Stella laughed and kneeled down to Grace's level. "He did, did he?" She nodded enthusiastically. "Well, I think we should try your pancakes, don't you?"

Grace cheered. "Yeah! Come on!"

Mac silently watched the two girls set the table and smiled slightly when Stella caught his eye. Grace tugged her away from the potential "moment" she could've had with Mac. "I want orange juice," she said decisively.

((((((((CSI:NY))))))))

Danny was woken by a someone, probably a little someone, beating on his door with the flat of their hand. He was asleep on his couch...with Lindsay curled around him.

He poked her side and she snuggled deeper into his embrace. "Lizzy, baby, mommy needs her sleep," she mumbled.

Danny's eyebrows shot up. "Montana," he said as another, more adult knock sounded. "I need to get up."

Lindsay sleepily pushed herself up enough that Danny could slip out from under her.

Mac smiled at Danny when he opened the door. It was obvious from the rumpled clothes and the lack of glasses that they'd woken him up. "Hey," Danny said.

Grace slipped past Danny. "I made breakfast, Danny," she said cheerfully. "It was so fun. Hey Montana! What are _you_ doing here?"

Mac and Stella looked at each other before looking at Danny. "Something you wanna tell us?" Stella asked with a wide smile.

"Uh, no," Danny said, opening the door wider to allow them access. "There's nothing to tell," he clarified when he realized how his previous statement sounded. "We fell asleep watching a movie."

Lindsay was sitting up, listening to Grace's chatter. Stella was relieved to find that Lindsay was fully clothed, even if she was falling asleep while trying to listen to Grace. It seemed that Danny was telling the truth.

"Hey Lindsay," Stella said with a knowing smirk.

Lindsay blushed slightly at her tone. "I fell asleep," she lied. Actually, it was Danny who had fallen asleep practically on top of her, making it almost impossible to leave. It wasn't her fault he was a bad movie watcher. Only truly bad movie watchers fall asleep during movies like _Die Hard_.

Mac hid a smile at Lindsay's guilty look. She really was a bad liar. "Lindsay," he said, "are you close to wrapping up your case?"

Lindsay nodded truthfully. "It was definitely the club owner, and it won't take much to get a warrant with the evidence we have."

Grace was silently looking through the couch cushions for the remote. That's where it usually stayed at Danny's. She triumphantly pulled it out from under the middle cushion and flipped on the TV.

The volume was up really loud. Grace was completely unfazed as she looked for the cartoon channel.

Lindsay gently took the remote from her, ignoring Grace's loud protests, and turned it down. Then she put it on the Disney channel.

"Can I please have it back now?" Grace asked sweetly.

"It's on cartoons," Mac pointed out helpfully.

"He who has the remote has the power," Grace recited from memory, looking at Danny to see if she got it right.

Danny winked at Grace. "Who's going to argue with that?" he asked reasonably.

"Not me," Lindsay said, giving the remote back to Grace.

Grace nodded. "You're really smart." She smiled innocently when Lindsay's eyes narrowed.

"Lindsay, I need you to come to my office when you get to work," Mac said, not wanting to discuss his case in front of Danny and Grace.

"I need to go to my apartment anyway." Lindsay stood up and gathered her stuff. "I'll talk to you later." She smirked at Danny as she slipped out.

"She stayed the night," Grace said happily. "Did you watch a movie? Was it good? How come she was sleeping on the couch? I fell asleep on the couch, but I woke up in bed. It was so funny. My foot was in Mac's face and he didn't even notice 'cause he was snoring!"

Mac coughed softly and blushed at Danny's wide grin. "We have an early interview," Stella said quickly. Mac was about to get mercilessly teased by Danny and they really did have an early interview. There was no time for Mac to attempt to explain while Danny countered everything with an innuendo.

Danny smirked at the obvious attempt to distract him. "I'll see you two later," he promised innocently. The look on his face clearly said he was planning on grilling Grace about the night before.

"Yeah," Mac agreed weakly.

When they were on their way to the lab, Stella couldn't help but tease Mac. "You froze in there," she said casually.

Mac looked over at her. "Excuse me?" he asked mildly.

"When Danny was about to say something about you staying the night. You froze."

Mac was getting flustered. "No, I didn't," he said. "I just...wasn't going to, uh, say anything."

"Right," Stella said doubtfully. "You were just going to stand there while Danny said things about us sleeping together?"

Mac blushed. "No! We didn't--" Stella burst out laughing, and Mac realized she was teasing him. "That's not very nice," he chastised with a grin.

They pulled up to the lab and met Lindsay on her way in. Her hair was a little damp from the quick shower she'd taken before coming in to work. "Hey," she said cheerfully.

"I need you to do a little background check on Anna Wilson and Elizabeth Nettle," Mac said without preamble.

Lindsay raised her eyebrows. "The teacher and the waitress friend?" she asked.

Stella hid a smile. She had known that Lindsay was keeping an eye on the case. "Yeah," she said agreeably before Mac could say anything about Lindsay unnecessarily butting into their case.

"Okay," Lindsay said. "I take it I'm not needed in your office anymore?"

Mac shook his head mutely.

Stella patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Mac," she said. "She's doing it because of Grace."

Mac looked down at her, knowing she was referring to how Lindsay'd already known about the case. "It's because of Danny," he corrected.

"Danny, Grace, same thing," Stella said dismissively.

"Not really," Mac said thoughtfully. "Danny's a little taller."

"Just a little," Stella agreed impishly.

Mac chuckled. "Are you coming with me to interview Elizabeth Nettle?" he asked.

Stella gave him a saucy look. "You couldn't stop me," she said, only half joking.

Mac silently agreed.

The apartment of Elizabeth Nettle was a lot more elegant than they expected. It was answered by a bleary-eyed young woman. She was quite short with narrowed green eyes and an attitude problem. "Do you know what time it is?" she demanded crossly.

Even though it was obviously a rhetorical question, Mac looked at his watch. "A quarter past ten," he answered.

"Ten?" The girl looked positively outraged. "I've only been asleep for two hours. Come back later."

Stella held up her badge. "Elizabeth Nettle? I'm Detective Bonesera. This is Detective Taylor. We need to ask you a few questions about Holly Daniels."

That seemed to tame her. "Come in," she said somberly.

Stella and Mac declined the coffee that was offered to them, but Elizabeth poured herself a mug full and drained it quickly. "Do you have something about Holly?" she asked after pouring herself a new cup.

Stella cleared her throat. "We might, but we can't release any information quite yet," she said apologetically.

"How well did you know Miss Daniels?" Mac asked.

"I was a friend of her husband's before he died," Elizabeth said. "I've known her for close to seven years."

Stella nodded. "Do you know anyone who would want to kill her?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I honestly don't. I wasn't well liked at the diner, but everyone loved her. She was sweet and actually cared about people. I was only there for the money."

Mac looked around. "Ms. Nettle, it doesn't seem like you would be in need of much money."

"Don't let the place fool you," Elizabeth said bitterly. "Daddy pays the rent. He cut me off and kicked me out of the house, but he can't bear the thought of me on the streets or doing desperate things for a place to sleep. He has no problem with me starving as long as I have a place to stay..." She cleared her throat. "Holly was my best friend."

"What do you know about her breakup in January?" Stella asked. Mac gave her a questioning look, but she ignored him. She had a hunch and she was going to run with it.

"Grace was playing on the table and fell onto a broken chair. She got hurt pretty badly, but Danny was great. He did everything he could to make her comfortable. They went to some school thing and Holly talked to Grace's teacher...the next thing I knew, she broke up with him."

"She didn't say why?" Stella pressed.

Elizabeth thought about it. "She said she was doing what was best for Grace," she said reluctantly. "I don't know what made her think that, but it had something to do with the teacher. Holly loved Danny, and I can't see her doing it on her own."

"The teacher convinced her to break up with Danny?" Mac asked incredulously.

"I don't know for sure," Elizabeth warned. "I just know that she was devastated even though she was the one to break up with him."

Stella sighed. She wasn't sure how she was going to tell Danny that Holly had broken up with him to do what was best for Grace. He would be pretty upset. "The DWIs..."

"Grace was always safe," Elizabeth interrupted. "She was always either with me or with Danny. Holly only got drunk on important holidays or anniversaries. Somehow, even when she left in a cab, she usually ended up driving."

There was a little more talk about Holly, but nothing that would've been useful to their investigation.

Mac finally stood up. "Any other information you could give us would be helpful," he said.

"I can't think of anything else," Elizabeth said honestly.

"If you do, give me a call," Mac said, giving her his card.

Stella was silent the whole way back to the lab. Mac was trying not to look at her, but she kept sighing or tapping her fingers on the console or was just generally being annoying. "Stella, stop," he finally ordered.

Stella looked over at him. "Excuse me?"

"Tapping, sighing...stop." After a thoughtful pause, he added, "Please."

Stella fidgeted, but refrained from sighing or tapping. Mac turned on the radio to distract her, but she was still fidgety.

When they got back to the lab, Stella practically jumped out of the car as she made her way inside. Mac caught up to her. "What's going on?" he asked.

"It was the teacher," she said.

Mac shook his head. "There's no proof," he reminded her.

"I may have some," Lindsay interjected from behind them.

Stella turned around with a knowing smile. "Just the girl I was looking for. What did you get?"

"A little over a year ago, Anna Wilson had a family. A little girl around Grace's age and a husband. They were found dead. Strangled with a tie." Lindsay passed the case files to Mac. "Anna was suspected at first, but she was quickly cleared."

Mac flipped through the files. "Her epithelials were all over the tie!"

"It was all explained. She did the laundry, she tied the ties...Plus, she had an alibi."

"A school conference," Mac said dully. "Didn't leave at all. Not even a bathroom break."

"It would be pretty traumatic to find your spouse and kid dead. Maybe she was recreating it," Stella said thoughtfully.

"That is possible," Mac said.

"Do you think it's enough to get a warrant?" Lindsay asked worriedly.

"Only one way to find out," Mac said.

Mac wouldn't allow Stella or Lindsay to come with him to get the warrant, but he got it. Considering the judge he'd went to was a hard ass, Stella was quite curious. She was quickly distracted by the facts of the case though.

They caught up with Anna just as she was letting her students out for recess. "Detectives," she said, surprised. "What brings you here? Is it Grace?"

Flack passed her the warrant. "I trust you'll cooperate?" he asked.

Anna's breathing sped up and she read it over twice to see if there were any loopholes. "You have to understand!" she said desperately.

"Open your mouth," Stella ordered. Anna reluctantly complied. There was no way out.

Mac watched wearily as Anna's eyes took on a wild look. He was quick to intervene when the school teacher took a sloppy swing at Stella.

Flack cuffed the woman. "You're under arrest for assault," he said almost gleefully.

On the way back to the lab, Stella was sulking. The hit had connected, and, even though it hadn't done much damage, her pride was hurt. "You could've warned me," she grumbled.

"You're a certified CSI," Mac teased. "You should've seen it coming."

Stella gave him an icy look. "Thanks for all your support," she said.

Mac's eyes had a slight mischievous glint. "You attract trouble," he said simply.

Stella looked over at him with mock-outrage. He was staring at the road, but his smirk gave him away. "You're one to talk," she retorted. "Remember that time when you were shot, stabbed, and slapped all in the same day?"

"It's funny how you associated being slapped with being stabbed and shot," Mac said lightly.

Stella just shrugged. "Why do you think she did it?" she asked, trading the light subject for one that was a little more troubling.

"I don't know," Mac admitted. "It could've been anything. Losing a child and husband so suddenly and so terribly had to be quite traumatic."

Stella thought about what she would do if she lost Mac...if she lost Grace... She quickly pushed those thoughts aside. That wasn't something she wanted to think about.

Grief can destroy a person, but it can also make a person grow stronger. Anna let her grief destroy her and drive her to...well, murder.

TBC...Writer's block sucks! The good news is that I'm out of school for the summer...two whole months before I have to go back. What did you think about the part with Lindsay and Danny? Heh. It's an opening for a sequel if I decide to write one...which is a definite possibility because I have a plot outline and everything. Just a few chapters to go and it'll be done! By the way, _Die Hard_ is a good movie. It has the right amount of action and drama/romance.


	11. Chapter 10

**Less Than Graceful: Chapter 10**

Anna Wilson was, once again, sitting in the interrogation room, staring at the metal table before her. The two detectives across from her looked angry. Actually, Anna mused, feeling oddly detached, she wasn't sure whether Mac was angry. His eyes were cold, but she was pretty sure they were just as cold the last time she was there. The woman, Stella, looked beyond angry...murderous would probably be a better word.

"Miss Wilson," Mac finally said. "We looked into your past..." He fell silent when Anna looked him in the eye. Her eyes were eerily vacant.

"Your husband and daughter were found dead," Stella said gently. Even though she was angry, there was no way she would be able to throw that in her face. "That must have been quite traumatic."

"You have no idea," Anna said quietly, her voice betraying her true feelings.

Stella leaned forward. "You're right," she said simply. "I don't. Did you know that Holly Daniels was found dead? Strangled with a tie?"

An odd noise, a cross between a pitiful moan and a laugh, escaped Anna. "Yes," she said truthfully.

Stella sat back and allowed Mac to take over. "When you were arrested yesterday," Mac said slowly, "were you really just going into the apartment?"

"No," Anna admitted, eyes moving back to the table. "I was coming out."

Stella didn't understand it. She studied the woman who, at the moment, seemed to be either numb or indifferent. Before, she'd seemed so timid and sad. Now, she was just so...different. "What, exactly, were you doing there?" she asked.

Anna smiled slightly. "I left Grace alone. I was making sure she was taken care of."

Mac sat forward. "When you say you left Grace alone, you mean the night before."

Anna nodded. "I made sure I was quiet when I came and went. I could hear Grace laughing and playing in the living room and I know she's pretty self-reliant so I figured she would be okay. I remembered her saying once that her mom didn't like her going in her room so I knew she wouldn't actually see anything..."

"You're admitting to killing Holly Daniels?" Stella asked incredulously.

Anna shrugged. "When you get the results back, you'll have your answer. It's not like I'm incriminating myself any more than the evidence already will."

For the first time in an interrogation, or ever for that matter, Stella's hand made its way into Mac's under the table. Mac glanced at her, but she was staring at Anna. "Why did you do it?" Stella asked quietly.

Anna shook her head. "You wouldn't understand," she insisted.

Stella's face darkened and her voice turned cold. "Try me," she said.

For the first time, a hint of discomfort passed over Anna's features. "Fine," she said, her face going blank once more. "Back in January, Grace was hurt badly. Sure, she said she fell off a table, but I knew that truth."

"And what was the truth?" Stella asked.

"It was either her mom or that Danny guy," Anna said.

Stella's jaw dropped. That, she was _not_ expecting. "You thought she was being _abused_?" she asked incredulously.

Anna nodded seriously. "Grace was a good kid. She knows better than to crawl on tables." Clearly, she didn't know Grace in a home environment. "Then, when they came to open house at the school, Grace looked so sad..._That guy_ picked her up and offered to buy her a puppy. What kind of man bribes a kid to like him?" The disgusted looked clearly said what kind of man she thought Danny was.

"Anyway," Anna said. "I talked to Miss Daniels before they left and I convinced her that having Danny around, staying as a stand-in, wasn't good for Grace. She resisted at first, but I put up a pretty good argument. She broke it off to do what was best for Grace." Her face contorted. "Probably the only thing," she muttered.

Stella squeezed Mac's hand. "What happened the other night?" she asked tightly.

Anna frowned. "Grace came to school talking about how her mom had to go to court. When I asked her why, she said for something that had a D and two other letters. It wasn't hard to put together. That night, I crawled up the fire escape. The window was wide open. Miss Daniels was curled up on the bed with a shirt and tie, crying." Her lip curled at the memory. "She asked me what I was doing, but I didn't answer. I took the tie... I put it around her neck and tightened it. She cried out a little, but I put my hand over her mouth. After she was dead, I just...left."

Stella closed her eyes at how easily the woman told the story.

"Grace is better off without her," Anna insisted.

Stella's eyes popped open. "Why don't you tell her that? That little girl, who I held as she cried herself to sleep the first night. Then woke up crying for her mom every hour after...or last night, when I had to wake her up. She was crying for her mom."

Anna didn't seem to be taking that too well. "It--She---That Danny guy--"

The door opened and Danny walked in. "Danny Messer," he said in a cool tone.

Anna gasped. "It's him!" she said, her eyes widening.

Danny nodded. "_Detective_ Danny Messer. Grace sits on the dining room table because it makes her feel like she's a big girl. The chair had broken because I fell on it in the dark when I was trying to set up a surprise for Holly. The next morning, Grace was on the table, as usual. I hadn't got a chance to do anything about the chair. She stood up, the table tipped, and she fell onto the chair.

"That night, at the open house thing, Grace's cat died of old age. He was very old. When I offered to buy her a puppy, I was trying to cheer her up. And the DWIs? Holly just had the worst luck when it came to those few nights she actually got drunk. She was still very in love with Grace's father, and those nights were their anniversary, his birthday, and the anniversary of his death. The night you killed her, when she was curled up with my shirt and tie? That was the day I promised her, before she broke up with me of course, that I would take her and Grace to meet my folks. It was my parents' fortieth anniversary." He gave Anna a pitying look that cut right through her. "Ma'am, Holly was a good mom. She was doing the best she could after Grace's dad died. She was working too many hours in a job that she thought she had rid herself of when she married into a better life."

Danny nodded to Mac and slipped back out of the room. Mac stood up, tugging Stella's hand as he did.

Stella swallowed. "You orphaned a little girl who didn't deserve it. Maybe you thought Grace would have a better life, but being an orphan isn't like what people make it out to be. There isn't a little girl named Annie there to sing your troubles away. It's a really hard life." She stood up. "How am I supposed to explain to Grace that her teacher, someone she trusted, killed the woman that gave birth to her and took care of her?"

Stella let go of Mac and fled the room, leaving Anna to think about the calamity of the situation. Mac stared at her for a few minutes before going to find Stella.

He found her in his office, staring at a random point on the wall. Her eyes were red from either tears shed before he'd arrived or tears being held back. "Stella?" he said quietly.

Stella turned her luminous eyes on him and smiled slightly. "Hey," she said, her voice hoarse from her tightly wound emotions.

Mac moved farther into the room and came to stand in front of his desk. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Stella nodded and looked down at her cast. "She doesn't realize what she did." She looked back up at Mac, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "She doesn't realize that she tore a vital part of Grace away. Grace seems all right, and in time she will be, but at night...You were there. She wasn't alright!"

Mac moved around the desk to take Stella in his arms. "Shhh," he said soothingly as Stella let the tears fall silently.

After a few minutes, Stella pulled herself together and pulled away. "I'm sorry," she said with a sad laugh.

Mac wiped her face and smiled at her. "Don't apologize. Come on." He pulled her up. "Let's go talk to Danny."

They found him in the interrogation room where they'd been only moments before. It was empty except for him. He was slumped over the table with his head in his hands. He looked up when the door open. "She's being booked right now," he said gruffly.

"Danny--"

He cut Stella off. "Montana came by and told me what was going on. She stayed with Grace. Figured I'd need to confront the teacher to move on or something."

"Was she right?" Mac asked, thinking that Danny was very mature about the way he handled the situation.

Danny just shrugged as she stood up. "I think we should do something for Grace," he decided. "Bake her a cake or something."

Stella stifled a laugh and tried to hide it when Danny gave her a mock-hurt look. "Sorry," she said, not sounding very apologetic. "It's just...bake a cake?"

"She would want to help," Mac pointed out; relieved they were able to laugh.

"It could be fun," Danny said, really getting into it. "It would make Grace happy and, in the end, we would have something sweet to eat."

Stella and Mac exchanged exasperated looks as they followed Danny out of the building.

((((((((((CSI:NY)))))))))))

The end result was complete disaster. Somehow, even with the simplest instructions, Danny managed to mess up the cake. Fortunately, they had extra and Mac took over. Grace very happily cracked the eggs and helped mix.

"This is good," Stella said, dipping her finger into the batter and licking it off.

"Hey!" Grace protested. "You can't do that!"

Stella dipped her finger in again and Mac grabbed her hand. He playfully glared at her, and Grace clapped her hands. "Told you!" she cheered. "Now, you gotta get punishment because you're naughty."

Danny snickered when Stella's face flamed. "Yeah, Mac," he said suggestively. "Looks like you have to punish her."

Mac took pity on her and let her go. Stella grinned impishly and wiped the batter across Mac's face. His surprised look sent Stella into a fit of giggles and she grabbed Grace and used her as a shield when Mac tried to grab her.

Danny stepped back and watched them and he felt a pang as he realized the family-esque scene. Holly would be happy with the end result. Even if she couldn't be there, she would be happy that Grace could be with a real family.

"Hey, cowboy," Lindsay said softly into Danny's ear.

He turned to her with a grin. "Hey," he said, just as soft.

"Looks like a family," Lindsay said as Grace wiggled away and helped Mac spread the chocolate cake batter all over Stella's face.

Danny grinned. "Get off my brain waves, Montana."

The smile faded from Lindsay's face. "I think they'll be able to heal each other, Danny," she said matter-of-factly.

Danny frowned. "What does _that _mean?" he asked.

"Mac's still mourning his wife. Stella's still looking for love. Grace just lost her mom." She smiled sympathetically. "As much as you feel you need her, I think Stella and Mac need her--"

"Danny!" Grace whispered as she tugged his pant leg. "Look."

Lindsay and Danny turned to look into the kitchen and saw Stella and Mac locked in a passionate kiss, the chocolate not deterring them in the slightest. Lindsay smirked at Danny. "Told you," she whispered.

Danny shrugged. "So you did."

Stella broke the kiss, laughing. "You got chocolate in my hair!" she accused, pulling Mac's sticky hands out of her hair.

"You ruined the moment," Mac whispered.

"There will be more," Stella said, moving around him and picking up Grace, who had crawled onto the table.

"Ewww," Grace squealed when Stella nuzzled her with her chocolate-y face.

"Me and Danny have to go," Lindsay abruptly announced.

"It's my apartment," Danny whispered.

"We have plans," Lindsay said, ignoring him, "that don't involve cake."

Danny gave her a disgruntled look. "No cake? At all?" he asked playfully.

"Maybe," Lindsay consented. "If you're good."

Stella laughed as she watched them go. "I think we need to finish the cake and leave."

"Are we leaving the cake?" Grace asked, horrified at the very idea.

"No," Stella said. "We get the cake, he gets the mess."

Mac smiled to himself as he put the cake mix into a pan.

"I wanted to do that!" Grace said.

END-This is my first official complete fic. Yay! So, I already started on the sequel. I'm posting the prologue right now...and I'll have the first chapter up tomorrow. It's called Parental Obligations.


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